MRes Healthcare & Design (MRes)
Clare Summerfield
Who heals the healer?
Junior Doctors today are suffering high rates of burn out and negative mental health. This spotlights a cohort within a professional group already known to have the highest suicide rate and who paradoxically, have the poorest access to mental health support. We know that the health and well-being of our doctors is directly linked to a reduction in medical errors, good quality patient outcomes and satisfaction. Crucially, poor health leads to low staff retention, contributing to the biggest crisis facing the NHS today – workforce attrition.
Stigma and shame hinders clinicians from seeking support and when they do, their only option is to access help from their own medical colleagues. A culture of blame and ‘resilience’ at all cost means many doctors suffer in silence and asking for help can be the hardest words to find. How can we support Junior Doctors to prevent them becoming unwell?, Based on Qualitative Research, Co-design Workshops and Quantitative User Testing with Junior Doctors, this research presents The Junior Doctor Circle, an app specifically designed for Junior Doctors to share their stories and begin a conversation about their mental health privately with their professional peers.
A two year Practice Based Design Research Project in collaboration with Junior and Senior Doctors from Imperial College NHS Trust and Barts Health NHS Trust to empower Junior Doctors to track, vocalise and feel supported with their mental health. The Junior Doctor Circle is a platform for Junior Doctors to share their stories with a community of other Junior Doctors. No one using the app can be identified and the app is not affiliated in any way to their employer. By realising they are not alone they learn and also support others.
Clare gained a first class BA(Hons) in Graphic Design at the University of Kingston and was awarded a prize for Information Design. She has also studied Design in Oslo as an Erasmus Scholar and worked as a Graphic Designer at MoMA, The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Recently Clare worked as a designer at Holmes Wood, a global design practice designing for people and place. She also designs co-design workshops and has experience as a workshop facilitator bringing design to other industry sectors to solve complex challenges. During her time at the RCA, Clare has worked with British Airways and the Saatchi Gallery to celebrate 100 years of flying with an exhibition entitled, BA2119: Flight of the Future. Studying Healthcare and Design at The Royal College of Art, has facilitated her working with clinicians from Imperial College to develop powerful and innovative responses to societal challenges in healthcare design. She has applied a range of research techniques, tools and design thinking methodologies to the field of healthcare innovation.
The Junior Doctor Circle Key Features
The Junior Doctor Circle Key Features
The Junior Doctor Circle Key Features
Support Throughout a Clinical Career
Junior Doctor User Testing Feedback
Support Throughout a Clinical Career
Personas, Hypotheses and Opportunity Areas
Mapping the Research Process. Map of the Research Journey and Framework of Thesis
Who Heals the Healer? A Practice Based Design Research Thesis
The Junior Doctor Circle
A two year Practice Based Design Research Project in collaboration with Junior and Senior Doctors from Imperial College NHS Trust and Barts Health NHS Trust to empower Junior Doctors to track, vocalise and feel supported with their mental health. The Junior Doctor Circle is a platform for Junior Doctors to share their stories with a community of other Junior Doctors. No one using the app can be identified and the app is not affiliated in any way to their employer. By realising they are not alone they learn and also support others.
This research shows the need for ongoing, active mental health support for Junior Doctors to acknowledge, monitor and be signposted to support services before they present with serious mental health issues. We should aim to support doctors before they burn out or are forced to take sick leave. The NHS has set out its intention to shift from a disease intervention service to a preventative health care model, Mental health support for Doctors must mirror this. We must appreciate that by supporting doctors’ physical and mental well-being that we are strengthening the very backbone of the NHS.
Self-generating content and peer to peer support ensures that The Junior Doctor Circle is unique amongst current mental health support services for doctors. By ensuring Junior Doctors voices are the building blocks of the platform, the content and support it offers is self-sustaining and can be simultaneously curated and tailored for and by Junior Doctors. An online community gives Juniors the space to take a first step to track and understand their mental health and well-being privately, without fear of judgement. By designing into the platform varying levels of user engagement, this platform can be both a gateway to other support services or a haven to connect and begin much needed conversations.
Doctors have one of the highest suicide rates amongst professional groups. Paradoxically, they have particularly poor access to mental health services. Many are left to suffer in silence. In 2018-2019 over 3,000,000 full time days were reported as lost to mental health related sick leave. The true figure will be higher, yet stigma and shame conceal the true mental health toll. This costs the NHS millions and exacerbates pressures on the remaining workforce. Junior Doctors carry the largest burden of mental heath issues and suffer from high burnout rates and low retention rates. They make a significant contribution to the biggest crisis facing the NHS today – the mental well-being of its workforce.